Locker hinge



Dec. 13, 1966 A. P. KElERLEBER LOCKER HINGE Filed March 24, 1964 I IH I I I H lfln United States Patent 3,290,718 LOCKER HINGE Arthur P. Keierleber, Aurora, 11]., assignor to All-Steel Equipment Inc., a corporation of Illinois Filed Mar. 24, 1964, Ser. No. 354,283 1 Claim. (Cl. 16-128) This invention relates to a vertical door hinge and more particularly is concerned with an improved door hinge that is able to sustain the weight of the door without impairing the ease of the hinging action and without impairing the hinge alignment and door squareness.

The principal object of the invention is the provision of an improved vertical door hinge utilizing a pintle held fast to the door and provided with a thrust collar for transmitting the weight of the door to a hinge leaf that is fixed on the door post and rotatably carries the pintle.

Another object of the invention is the provision of an improved vertical door hinge for sheet metal structures such as lockers and cabinets and wherein the door panel has integral embossures defining sockets to receive opposite ends of a pintle, and wherein the pintle is equipped with a thrust collar to bear upon a fixedly mounted hinge leaf through which the pintle extends, with the pintle normally being held fixed to the door panel and being freely rotatable in the hinge leaf with the door weight being carried on the thrust collar of the pintle.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent during the course of the following description.

In the accompanying drawings forming a part of this specification and in which like numerals are employed to designate like parts throughout the same:

FIG. 1 is a fragmentary front perspective view of portions of a locker structure equipped with an improved vertical door hinge structure in accordance with this invention;

FIG. 2 is a corresponding fragmentary front perspective view of such structure illustrating the door element rotated to an open position about its hinge; and

FIG. 3 is a fragmentary rear elevational view taken as indicated at the line 33 of FIG. 2.

Referring now to the drawings, there are shown the relevant portions of a cabinet or locker structure to which the hinge construction of this invention finds important application. Thus, reference character designates a portion of a door post or jamb which is preferably in the form of an angle bar having front and side flanges 10F and 108, respectively. Reference character 11 designates a door panel having a face portion 11F, a side flange 11S and an end flange 11E cooperatively defining a corner structure for mounting of the hinge.

The hinge structure includes a door supporting strap 12 rigidly aflixed to the front flange 10F of the door post as by means of spot welding as indicated at 12W in FIG. 3 and a pintle 13 which is rotatably supported in the strap 12 and which is positioned within the corner structure of the door panel 11.

The support strap 12 has an outwardly projecting loopshaped end portion 12H presenting a hinge leaf for receiving the pintle 13 to locate its central axis approximately in the plane of the front face of the door panel 11. A slot is provided at the corner juncture of the front and side portions of the door panel and has a shorter opening 145 (FIG. 1) in the front portion 11F and a higher opening 14H (FIG. 3) in the side portion 118. The

opening 148 in the front panel 11F accommodates the hinge leaf portion 12H of the support strap 12 whereas the opening 14H in the side portion 115 constitutes an access region that facilitates entry of the pintle into the corner structure. 4

The edge regions of the front portion 11F of the door panel have integral embossures 15U and 15L bordering opposite vertical extremities of the front opening and defining upper and lower sockets that open endwise towards each other and accommodate the end portions 13E of the pintle.

In the preferred practice of the invention, the support strap 12 is first secured to the door post 10 and the corner structure of the door panel is appropriately slotted to permit the pintle 13 to be first assembled into the hinge leaf and then inserted through the opening 14H to nest the pintle ends in the sockets defined by the embossures 15U and 15L.

The corner structure has its side flange 118 provided with mounting holes 16 adjacent and spaced vertically from opposite extremities of the opening 14H and a hinge clip 17 of generally angular configuration is mounted internally at the corner region of the door panel 11 and is secured in place by end tabs 17T that are inserted through the mounting holes and then bent over to lock the hinge clip 17 firmly in place. The hinge clip 17 has an elongated inward junction line embossure 17E defining a clearance socket for the hinge leaf 12H and it has right angled embossures 17A spaced vertically from opposite extremities of the juncture line embossure 17E. The region between the embossures is thus given a reinforced outward bulge to present contact surfaces 17C that forcibly engage against the ends 13E of the pintle 13 to fix it against rotation with respect to the door panel 11.

Thus, the door movement is accommodated by rotation of the pintle in the hinge leaf and in conjunction with this action, the pintle is provided with an integral thrust collar at a location adjacent and spaced from its upper end to underlie and endwise contact the upper embossure 15U and to overlie and engage in rotatable bearing contact upon the upper extremity of the hinge leaf 12H. Thus, the weight of the door panel 11 acts through the edge of the upper embossure 15U, through the thrust collar 13C of the pintle and into the upper edge of the hinge leaf 12H, and this relationship facilitates easy rotation of the door panel due to the smooth bearing action achieved by the thrust collar of the pintle. The structure eliminates binding of the pintle 13 and handles the load imposed by the door weight without distortion and resultant misalignment and out-of-squareness of the structure.

Thus, while a preferred embodiment of the invention has been illustrated herein, it is to be understood that changes and variations may be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit and scope of the appending claim.

What is claimed is:

A vertical door hinge construction comprising a 'door post, a supporting strap rigid therewith including a hinge leaf projecting laterally of the post and defining a vertical aperture therein, with the leaf having a relatively flat upper face surrounding the aperture, a door adapted to be mounted on the post for swinging movement with respect thereto, a door panel corner structure having a face portion provided with upper and lower outwardly embossed portions defining upper and lower pintle sockets opening endwise toward each other and laterally toward the inner face of the door, said door panel having a side flange provided with a slot to receive the hinge leaf intermediate said sockets, a straight, generally cylindrical, pintle loosely mounted in said aperture for free rotation therein, a collar fixed on said pintle near the upper end thereof to support and position said pintle within the aperture, said collar having a relatively flat lower surface cooperating with the relatively fiat upper surface of the hinge leaf to serve as a thrust bearing for the support of the door on the hinge leaf, the pintle extending above the collar by a predetermined amount and below the hinge 3 4 leaf by a predetermined amount for engagement with References Cited by the Examiner said embossed sockets on the door panel, and means for I UNITED STATES PATENTS securing the ends of the pintle to the door panel Within 65 6 2 1 6 169 said sockets, and for transferring the weight of the door g gg 432 ggg E X to the collar, whereby the plntle rotates With the door as 5 2:766:901 10/1956 Sunko 16 169 it is opened and closed, with the lower face of the collar serving as the principal bearing support for the hinge, EDWARD ALLEN Primary Examiner. said means including a hinge clip secured to the door and I having portions tightly engaging the ends of the pintle to PATRICK CLIFFORD, Examine secure the same against rotation with respect to the door. 10 D, L, TROUTMAN, Assistant Examiner, 

